


the cold earth slept below

by bene_elim



Series: darling, i hate you [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: (link wears revali's scarf), Cold Weather, Fluff, Gen, Link is cold, M/M, Revali gives him his scarf, im back again with my revalink bs, thats it thats the fic, the summary makes it seem angsty but its super fluffy i promise, wearing each other's clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27155191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bene_elim/pseuds/bene_elim
Summary: Link shows up cold, again. Revali lends him his scarf.-Fantastic plan, he thought to himself as he flew, following Lake Kilsie. He was heading to the Sturnida Secret Hot Springs, his favourite hiding spot. Everyone knew that if he couldn’t be found at Rito Village, he was in the Hebra mountains, though they all assumed that he was at the flight range – and sometimes he was. But sometimes, in moments that he was truly overwhelmed and tired of the world, he would seek out the hot springs not far from the flight range and relish in the fact that for a few hours, absolutely no-one would know where he was.And right that moment, he felt like not being found.
Relationships: Link & Revali (Legend of Zelda), Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Series: darling, i hate you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982098
Comments: 6
Kudos: 160





	the cold earth slept below

**Author's Note:**

> two fics in as many days??? im on a roll! now if i could only get on with my big bang fic, i'd be happy.   
> anyway, the title is from the poem by the same name by percy shelley.   
> i made this into a series because i see it as part of the same universe, but can be read as a stand alone (though if you like this, you'll undoubtedly like part one)  
> beta-ed by one of the people who put this idea in my head: merakki!   
> uh,,,,, enjoy!

There was something to be said about the peacefulness of the Hebra mountain range. It held a particular softness. Perhaps it was the way that the falling snow would cover the world in a perfect frosting layer of sugar, the way it would mute the loudness of the world till it was silent and tranquil, the way the light reflected off the glistening rocks.

Perhaps it was the fact that out here, Revali was alone.

It was a lonesomeness that he didn’t mind, unlike the type he felt when surrounded by other Rito in the Village. He came here to relax, away from the responsibilities of the Village and the Rito within. He came here to recharge, for he felt that being around his neighbours just annoyed him after a certain point. He came here to  _ escape the princess when she came calling for him _ . Call him what you would, Revali was not one to bend to the will of anyone but himself – princess of Hyrule included. And when she travelled all the way to Rito Village, it was because she wanted something specific from him.

Probably to be allowed to inspect at Vah Medoh. Well, Revali didn’t care what she did with the Divine Beast – the thing would probably obey  _ her _ more than it did him.

Thus, he escaped to Hebra (where he wouldn’t be followed, especially by Hylians) for a few hours, just long enough to be missed. Then he’d go back and apologise, claim that he wasn’t aware that the princess had made the journey to see him, and suggest a rendezvous in the morning rather than deal with all the nonsense that she would dreg up that night.

Fantastic plan, he thought to himself as he flew, following Lake Kilsie. He was heading to the Sturnida Secret Hot Springs, his favourite hiding spot. Everyone knew that if he couldn’t be found at Rito Village, he was in the Hebra mountains, though they all assumed that he was at the flight range – and sometimes he was. But sometimes, in moments that he was truly overwhelmed and tired of the world, he would seek out the hot springs not far from the flight range and relish in the fact that for a few hours, absolutely no-one would know where he was.

And right that moment, he felt like not being found.

There was a sharp, nipping wind that Revali used to glide along, though no snow, thankfully. In no time, he arrived at the springs. He didn’t ever sink into the water’s depths – instead he preferred to sit on the edge and soak in the warmth, let the steam fluff up his feathers. When he’d get unbearably warm, he’d fly up and savour the cold, biting air around him again, until he was sufficiently cooled down and could stand to sit by the turquoise waters once more.

This place was sacred, secret, special. No-one knew of it but him.

Which is why he was surprised that, after a couple of hours of blissful loneliness, a boy appeared seemingly out of no-where.

“And what, pray tell, are  _ you _ doing here?” Revali asked, not even wanting to  _ know _ how Link found out about this spot.  _ His  _ spot. Hidden behind mountains and a frozen lake. How in Hylia’s name did Link even manage to  _ get  _ here?

_ Looking for you _ , Link signed.

Revali sighed.

“Well, go on back to the Village and tell them to wait for me. I’ll be there when I want to be.”

But Link didn’t move. His gaze was locked on the turquoise waters of the hot springs. Revali belatedly noticed that he was shivering; small tremors running up and down his arms and legs and torso. His lingering look was longing, Revali noticed. Longing, like the warmth was calling to him.

“Insipid boy, you’re  _ cold,  _ aren’t you? Do you never think?” He snapped. He released a long, put-upon sigh. He looked at Link. “Come here, then! Or are you too stupid to understand me?”

Link merely rolled his eyes, mouth pulling into the phantom of a smirk, seemingly against his own will, as he stepped forward. He kept his attention on Revali, not looking back at the warm waters again.

“I know, I know, you must be in awe, standing here in front of me and even being commanded closer. I am the great Rito warrior, as you already know, of course. How could you want to look anywhere but at me?” He prattled, though his mouth was truthfully running without much input from his brain. His brain was too busy cataloguing the way Link was shivering in the cold, his Champion’s tunic hardly enough to counteract it (though he did, thankfully, seem to be wearing the Snowquill trousers, which were probably the only thing between life and succumbing to hypothermia).

Once he was close enough, Revali sighed.

“If we had more time, I’d help you warm up, but if you’ve come looking for me then that means I must be wanted. Goddess knows how you even found me, no-one should know where I am,” he muttered. “I suppose we should go back, so that means there’s no time to get you warm. But,” he paused. “But… For now… Just take my scarf.”

He unwound the sky blue material from around his neck and handed it to a bewildered Link. When Link didn’t move, Revali sighed once more.

“Are you  _ completely  _ stupid? You do know what to do with a scarf, don’t you?” He grabbed the scarf out of Link’s hands and held it out in front of him.

“Now, I want you to be very careful with this. This is what denotes me as a Champion amongst my people. I know you don’t understand because you go everywhere in your tunic and never seem to care for it if it gets tattered – don’t think I don’t see those patches sewn on – but I actually care for this scarf and shall be very mad at you if you damage it in some way, as I know you’re wont to do.” As he spoke, he ran his hands lovingly over the fine material. Then, with as little ceremony as possible, he draped it around Link’s neck and tied a singular knot in it.

“There. That should do you.”

It was strange, Revali thought. He loved his scarf, really and truly, and never thought he would ever see it around the neck of another being – but on Link it looked… natural. Like it belonged. Perhaps it was the matching colour of his tunic, or the way it snugly covered his whole neck, but Revali thought that there was little in Hyrule that could compare to the feelings he was experiencing at that moment. How bizzare… Link was wearing his scarf.

(A small, tiny, part of his brain wanted to acknowledge this as the mark of ownership that it clearly could be interpreted as, but Revali ignored it. He didn’t want to think about that.)

Shaking himself out of his daze, Revali turned to the next problem: getting back. Revali could fly back without a problem and make it in just a couple of hours, but Link…. Well, Revali didn’t even know how he had managed to find him so fast, given how slow Hylians could be on their feet. Did he set out as soon as he got to Rito Village?

Regardless, what mattered now was that Link was cold and they both needed to get back. The scarf had calmed his shivering, the tremors now only occasional instead of constant, but there was no denying that the boy was still cold.

For a third time, Revali sighed. Then he knelt down.

“Can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered, “but, get on. I’ll fly you back to the Village.” He said.

And together they flew, away from the sunset and back towards Rito Village.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, i'm eternally grateful for your comments! your kind words are what inspire me to write more (see, i got such a positive response on my fic yesterday that im posting another just 24 hours later!!)  
> thanks!


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